Shanxi is a landlocked province on the Loess Plateau of north China, west of the Taihang Mountains and east of the Yellow River. It holds more surviving pre-modern timber buildings than any other Chinese province, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Yungang Grottoes, the Ancient City of Pingyao and Mount Wutai), the cliff-clinging Hanging Monastery, the 1056 wooden pagoda of Ying County, the Qing-era merchant mansions of the Jin traders and the thundering Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River.
Best photo spots
Iconic and lesser-known locations worth shooting.
Pingyao City Wall at Sunset
Grey tile roofs and watchtowers from the wall.
Best time: Last hour before closing
Pingyao South Street at Blue Hour
The City Tower and lantern-hung shopfronts.
Best time: Blue hour after lanterns are lit
Yungang Cave 20 Open-Air Buddha
The seated Buddha of about 14 m open to the sky.
Best time: Weekday morning
Hanging Monastery from the Canyon Floor
Timber halls pinned to a cliff face.
Best time: Morning light
Datong City Wall at Dusk
Floodlit gate towers beside the moat.
Best time: Blue hour
Jinci Hall of the Holy Mother
Dragon-wrapped columns behind the Flying Bridge.
Best time: Morning
Qiao Family Compound Lanterns
Red lanterns along stone courtyards.
Best time: Weekday morning
Hukou Waterfall Rainbow
Yellow River spray and rainbows at high water.
Best time: Late morning to midday
By subject
Match your shooting interest to Shanxi's strengths.
Architecture photography
Pingyao, Jinci, Yingxian
Landscape photography
Hukou, Hengshan
Street photography
Pingyao South Street, Liuxiang night market
Religious art photography
Yungang, Shuanglin
Best times to shoot
Light, weather, and seasonal considerations.
- Sunrise
- Pingyao wall and Yungang open-air Buddha
- Midday
- Indoor halls and museums
- Sunset
- Pingyao and Datong city walls
- Blue Hour
- South Street lanterns, Datong gate towers
Photography tips
Make your shots stand out.
Many temple halls forbid flash and photography of statues; check signs
Drone flight is restricted around heritage sites; do not fly without permission
Autumn (September-October) gives the clearest air; winter smog can flatten distant views